Fans, Stand By Me co-stars and tour audiences are affected now that corey feldman is reportedly not invited to a March 15 Oscars tribute honoring Rob Reiner; 4: 26 p. m. ET — organizers have invited Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal, Jerry O’Connell and Wil Wheaton but left Feldman off the program.
Corey Feldman’s Exclusion Strains Stand By Me Tour Relationships
corey feldman is said to be devastated by the exclusion, a blow felt on the Stand By Me 40th anniversary tour that currently features Jerry O’Connell and Wil Wheaton. The anniversary tour’s existence is cited as one reason Feldman viewed a tribute invitation as expected; the apparent omission has left him and some fans upset about his absence from the ceremony set for March 15.
Academy Plans Center on Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal, Jerry O’Connell and Wil Wheaton
The Academy’s planned tribute will include Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal from When Harry Met Sally alongside Jerry O’Connell and Wil Wheaton representing Stand By Me. the organizers have invited those four to honor Rob Reiner, and that Feldman was not asked to join them on stage for the tribute.
Rob Reiner Tribute Timing Intersects With Reiner Family Legal Case
The tribute follows Rob Reiner’s December death; Reiner, 78, and his wife Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were fatally stabbed in December and their son, Nick Reiner, 32, has been charged in connection with their deaths and has entered a not guilty plea. The family’s legal situation and the timing of the Oscars tribute are both cited in accounts of why the ceremony’s organizers are moving carefully.
Jerry O’Connell and Wil Wheaton have reached out to the Academy seeking answers about Feldman’s exclusion and,, have been met with silence. That lack of response has prompted the two co-stars to press organizers on behalf of their missing colleague while the tribute plans firm up for March 15.
Corey Feldman’s public record over recent years is part of why his absence is notable: he has faced struggles with drug and alcohol abuse and misdemeanor charges, and he has made allegations about sexual abuse within the industry. In December he drew headlines when he claimed he was molested by his late friend Corey Haim in a documentary about his life released that month.
Stand By Me’s original cast history is also part of the dispute: River Phoenix, one of the film’s four leads, died in 1993, while Feldman, Wheaton and Phoenix were all 14 when they filmed the movie and O’Connell was 11. That ensemble history is the reason O’Connell and Wheaton have argued Feldman should be included in any on-stage homage.
For now, organizers have scheduled the tribute for March 15 and have named the invited participants; the Academy has not publicly explained the selection choices. More details expected before the ceremony.
If the Academy adds Corey Feldman to the March 15 tribute list, he could appear at the ceremony in time to participate in the on-stage remembrance.
